Thursday, March 5, 2009

Be still and know.


When I was growing up, there was a popular saying ... "Be sure to take the time to smell the daisies." There is just something healthy and good about taking a break from life's chaos. Slow down. Take a walk on the beach. Watch a sunset. Take a quiet stroll. Sit down in the snow... okay, I never heard that one, but you get the idea.


Sometimes, life is just crazy and different personalities deal with life's insanity differently. Sanguines go into over-drive, cholerics get a tad bit demanding, phlegmatics want to crawl in bed, and melancholy's refer to their day-timers!!! Temperments make a difference in how we respond. Understanding personality types will not only help a person understand themselves, but also give insight to family, friends and foes.


Some people believe that temperment analysis is hogwash or even satanic with a slant toward astrology. Dr. Charles Stanley, Pastor of First Baptist Atlanta, GA, frequently refers to personality types. Christian author, Florence Littauer wrote, "Personality Plus", a book that describes the different temperments. The book made a believer in me. God's Word, the ultimate authority, reveals that God took careful measure when He created us. "Oh yes, you shaped me first inside then out; you formed me in my mother's womb." Ps. 139:13. Along with God's Holy Spirit, temperment peculiarities makes the believer's life unique and "wonderfully made!"

May I share with you some personality types within my family???

My mom is a definite choloric! She is strong and take charge, not easily discouraged and usually right! She is very goal-oriented.

My son, Jordy, oh he is definitely a sanguine for sure! He is fun loving, light-hearted, a people person, and a wonderful entertainer!

My son, Justin, hummm.. I'm thinking melancholy. He is a thinker and a ponderer who is highly creative and content to stay in the background. The melancholy type personality is philosophical and finds creative solutions.

My husband is a phlegmatic with a touch of choleric thrown in! Case in point: He is a great mediator which is his phelgmatic side however his choleric side kicks in when he is strong-willed and decisive!

As for me?? I took the personality test and scored very high on the phlegmatic type which means I tend to be easy-going, I keep my emotions hidden, and I am quiet but whitty. :-)

Life does get crazy and no matter what type of temperment you have, rest and reflection is good. I should know, phlegmatics enjoy the quiet side of life.

"Be still and know that I am God. I will be honored by every nation! I will be honored throughout the world." Ps. 46:10




3 comments:

  1. Choleric sanguine. Now if I just knew what that meant.

    peace~elaine

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  2. Choleric phlegmatic, that is me. Sounds like your husband with the dominant-secondary traits flipped. God has a way of cooling the choleric in me, however -- and I ask for that help on a daily basis. Cholerics can ride roughshod over people if they don't watch out.

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  3. God has purposed each of these personalities types for His glory... even cholerics! Nice to meet you Elizabeth...

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